how to . . .get in synch with solo buyersNot Going It AloneSingle clients often depend on practitioners for emotional supportas well as transaction knowledge.

For Marianne Guenther Bornhoft, GREEN, SRES, working with single women— 40 percent of her clientele—was a natural fit. “I’ve learned that it’s easy to work with people you canidentify with and who can identify with you,” says Bornhoft, asales agent with Windermere Real Estate in Spokane, Wash. “Ibought a house on my own when I was divorced, so I know thatmarket intimately.”Nationally, 25 percent of buyers are single, according tothe latest Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers from the NationalAssociation of REALTORS®, with nearly twice as many singlewomen as men ( 16 percent vs. 9 percent) purchasing homes.Though the share of homes bought by singles has been stifledin recent years, first by the recession and then by tight lendingconditions, many practitioners are finding success servingsingle clients, regardless of their own marital status. The bondbetween those real estate pros and their single clients can beespecially strong. “Buying and selling real estate and moving isalready a highly emotional process. If you’re doing it alone, it canbe scary and stressful,” says Tiffany Stevens, GRI, sales agentwith Phyllis Browning Co. in San Antonio. “I keep that in mindwhen working with my single clientele, so that they never feellike they are completely alone in the process,” she says.

Unmarried people may, in fact, have more frequent real
estate needs than couples and families because they tend to be
more mobile. Between 2012 and 2013, 12 million never-married
and 3 million divorced people moved homes compared with

9. 9 million marrieds, according to Census Bureau data. Christopher Mills, sales agent with Keller Williams Capital Properties
in Washington, D.C., says many singles who buy homes in the
District’s hot H Street Corridor change jobs or need to move
within five years. For them, the issue is finding a home that can
transition to a rental property easily.

Rising Purchasing Power

The rising purchasing power of single women suggests they’llbe an important demographic for decades to come. Currently,six out of 10 college graduates (whose incomes are typically farhigher than those of high school grads) are female, according tothe U.S. Department of Education. Income parity is also improv-ing: Among workers ages 25 to 35, women’s hourly wages in2012 were 93 percent those of men, compared to 84 percent forwomen of all ages, according to a Pew Research Center study.To reach single women, community involvement is key, ac-cording to Bornhoft, who has worked with more than two dozennonprofits in her area. She serves on the board of Visit Spokane,a local visitors’ bureau, and targets her advertising within thetourism industry, where a lot of women happen to work. “I’vesold a lot of properties to single clients who are successfulprofessional women,” Bornhoft says. Many of her clients end upbeing lifelong friends as well as repeat customers—in fact, oneclient has purchased seven homes from her. “You have to be aconfidant, a financial adviser, sometimes a parent, and a friend.”Social media can play a powerful role in strengtheningcontacts. Stevens reaches singles on Fridays by posting localevents on Facebook. “Someone who’s single is likely trying toget out there and meet friends,” she says “[My posts] can makethem feel I’m more connected and really know the community.”She has found single women to be a powerful referral sources.“If you’re really there for them, they rave about you to everyonethey talk to. You didn’t just get their house sold; you took care ofthem,” Stevens says. “They won’t forget that.” Conversely, if thecustomer is unhappy, her friends will likely know that as well.